Village Voice, the legendary New York City alt-weekly, has been sold by Village Voice Media to a group of the company's editors and publishers.

Also included in the agreement are 12 of the Voice's sister papers, a collection that includes such titles as L.A. Weekly and Phoenix New Times, the company said on the Village Voice blog.

However, Backpage.com, a classified site that has been accused of promoting child sex trafficking with its adult entertainment advertisements, is not part of the sale.

The new company will be called Voice Media Group. Scott Tobias, who was Village Voice Media's chief operating officer, will run the new entity, which, like many papers, is struggling with the downturn in print advertising.

"Voice Media Group will center its attention on the growth of the renowned weekly publications and continue its expansion into new and exciting mobile and online platforms," Tobias said in a statement. "We are focused on building a dynamic media business that allows our advertisers to target local audiences through multiple platforms. We will continue to offer advertisers a national footprint with hyper-local reach, and we will continue to provide high-caliber and comprehensive content to our readers."

Backpage.com will be a separate company run by different owners.

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